Doctor Who and the Mystery of Merlin
by Jaxin88
Summary: Sequel to Doctor Who and the Legacy of Azkaban. Harry Potter AU. The Doctor and Rose's time at Hogwarts is over, and their future is waiting for them. But if everything goes according to plan at the Ministry of Magic, that future might not last very long...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

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A knock echoed against the doorframe and Rose turned away from her view of the lake, where a group of second years were skipping stones into the Giant Squid's territory.

Her mother stepped into the room, offering a smile to Rose's housemate as the tall girl turned to leave. "Thanks, sweetheart." The witch nodded perfunctorily, and Jackie sighed as the door clicked shut behind her. "Blimey, they aren't half snooty around here, are they? I dunno how you've stood it."

Rose gasped on a laugh. "Mum!"

"Well, 's true." She paused and took a good look at her daughter. "Oh, don't tell me you're not ready yet! The graduation's in an hour!"

Rose glanced down at herself, still in worn jeans and a t-shirt, and crossed her arms self-consciously. "I've got plenty of time."

"Like hell you do! Come on, let's get you into your dress, and I can help you with your hair—" Jackie froze, looking around the messy room. There wasn't a speck of taffeta in sight. "Do you even _have_ a dress?"

"Mum—" there was a crackle of blue light by the door, and Rose dragged Jackie out of the way hurriedly. The steady cerulean light grew into a ragged seam in the air and with a hiss, it opened and a red-haired figure stepped out—no, make that _two_ red-haired figures.

Jackie gaped at them as the two women shook their heads, grimacing as the light fizzled and faded. She leaned over to her daughter, her whisper carrying loudly in the quiet room. "Is that normal?"

Rose winced. "Not exactly. Hi, Donna, Ginny."

Jackie whirled to face Rose, her hands on her hips. "You told me the security on this place was top notch. So d'you mind explaining to me how two people have just _stepped out of thin air?!_"

Donna cleared her throat. "Hello to you, too, Mrs. Tyler."

Jackie shot her a glare. "We've gone over this. It's Jackie. And I'm waitin' to hear what my daughter has to say, thank you very much."

"Mum, Hogwarts _is _safe. This is just a transport spell the Doctor's been working on."

She narrowed her eyes. "Of course it is. So has himself been popping up to visit you, then?"

Ginny coughed on a laugh as Donna hid a smirk and Rose flushed. "Mum! No!"

Jackie snorted. "Right, like I believe that. I've seen the way he looks at you, Rose. And the way you look at him. Don't even try to pretend you don't."

"Mum, we aren't—we haven't—I've got to get ready for graduation, I am _not _talking about this now."

Ginny grinned and stuck her hand out to Jackie as Donna patted Rose on the shoulder, still looking amused. "And that's my cue. Ginny Weasley, ma'am. Rose asked me over to help her with her dress. It's nice to finally meet you—my mum's told me all about you."

Jackie harrumphed. "It's nice to meet you, too, I guess."

"_Mum!_"

Ginny cleared her throat and shot Rose a quelling look as she pulled Jackie off to the side. "Actually, I'd love it if you could help me out a bit."

Rose's brow furrowed, but Donna poked her with her elbow, lowering her voice. "Just go with it."

She sighed and opened her closet, pulling out her graduation dress—a fluffy pink retro affair—and switched clothes with a grumble. She'd seen it in the resale shop down the block on her last trip home, and had fallen in love at first sight.

Ginny nodded judiciously at it, then looked at Jackie, who had her lips pursed thoughtfully. The older woman motioned for Rose to twirl, and she did. "Well, it could stand to be nipped in at the waist, and the petticoat needs some fixing."

Ginny pulled out her wand, twirling it with a flourish. "You're right about that." With a quick flick and a murmured spell, Rose felt the fabric cinch in about her torso as the petticoat patched itself together, and Jackie's eyes widened.

"Blimey, that's useful. No wonder you haven't been buggin' me about new clothes."

Rose shrugged, smiling at Ginny. "I've got a brilliant tailor on speed-dial. Well, when she's not off leading her team to glorious victory."

"Damn right." Ginny grinned at her, then turned back to Jackie. "Growing up with my mum, you learned to make money stretch."

Jackie nodded sagely then turned aside with Donna to consult about makeup, and Rose cocked her head at Ginny. "How is the team doing? I haven't had a chance to keep up, with the N.E.W.T.s and all."

Ginny held her hand up with a flourish. There was a heavy gold ring on her pointer finger, covered in elaborate scrollwork. "You weren't wrong about the glorious victory thing. Say hello to the captain of the new Regional Champions."

Rose's jaw dropped. "That's brilliant! How on earth did I miss that?" She laughed. "Ginny, you're amazing!"

The redhead shrugged modestly—or it would be modest, if you missed the smug grin on her face. "You've been busy, Rose. From what I hear, you and the Doctor have been living up to my brothers' legacy."

Rose's eyes widened and she shook her head as Jackie turned at that, an eyebrow raised imperiously. "An' what sort of a legacy is that?"

Ginny cleared her throat and focused on the spangled bodice of Rose's dress, charming the fallen sequins back into place. "Academic excellence, of course."

Jackie pursed her lips at their sudden, intense focus. "Of course."

Donna nodded, shoving the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes shopping bag under the bed before Jackie spotted it. "The Doctor got some of the highest N.E.W.T. scores Hogwarts has ever seen—he broke all the records but one, even over Hermione's scores."

She sniffed. "Yeah? What was the one?"

Donna grinned. "Defense Against the Dark Arts. _That_ one was broken by your daughter."

Rose shuffled her feet as Ginny's jaw dropped and Jackie stared at her. "Sarah Jane helped me prepare, is all."

She lost her breath in a huff as Jackie pounced on her, hugging her tight. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so proud of you!" Jackie stepped away, blinking back tears. "Look at you, record holder. Your dad would be so proud of you."

Rose smiled at her, biting her lip, but was saved from a reply by a knock at the window, a light _tap-tap-tap_. Donna opened it to find the Doctor gaping at her from atop his broomstick.

He frowned, steadying it carefully in the spring wind. "What are you doing here?"

She crossed her arms. "I could ask you the same thing, you plum."

Jackie pursed her lips together, glaring at her daughter. "Hasn't been visiting you, my arse."

The Doctor nearly fell off his broomstick. "Oh, hell—_hello_, Mrs. Tyler. Jackie." He gulped nervously. "'Lo, Rose."

She smiled shyly at him, running her hands nervously over her skirt. "Hello."

His eyes went wide as he stared at her, his gaze intent and lingering. "Blimey, you look gorgeous! I mean, not that it's a surprise, or anything—" Ginny snickered, and he seemed to wilt as he noticed her, too. "Hello, Ginny."

She grinned and waved. "Nice to see you, Doctor."

Rose bit her lip. "So, were you up here for something?" She defiantly ignored Jackie's snort.

He nodded and sat up, gripping his broom carefully as he dug into his suit pocket. Rose took a moment to admire the trim cotton suit he had on; a rich brown shot through with pale blue pinstripes that only emphasized his long limbs. She had helped him pick it out on their last trip to Hogsmeade when Wilf had come to visit and, much to the Doctor's dismay, to buy his adopted son some graduation clothes. Despite being entertained for hours by the gift shops whenever they visited a museum, the Doctor _hated_ shopping.

Then again, he did live with Donna. Rose had never met as ruthless a shopper as Donna. She'd gone shopping with her on Boxing Day once, and once was more than enough.

"A-ha!" The Doctor crowed, holding up a small packet bound by pink ribbon. He began to wobble and hastily steadied himself before ducking his head shyly as he handed the package through the window. "Here it is. For, um. For graduation. You know, if you want. I'd better get back downstairs, then. I'll see you later."

With that, he darted away from the tower window. Donna grimaced and pulled it shut as he skimmed down the side of the castle, an arm's length away from the ancient stones. "I swear, that boy can never resist a chance to show off."

Rose bit her lip as she smiled down at the small packet in her hand, and Jackie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, come on then, open it already."

Ginny snagged the ribbon as Rose pulled it off, setting it next to Rose's dress, and the blonde gasped as she looked inside the the package. Nestled against the paper was a pair of earrings, the dangling stones the precise shade of Rose's dress.

"These are perfect. How did he—?" Rose looked up, and Donna smirked and tossed her hair.

"I _may_ have done some reconnaissance earlier this week." Donna's sentence ended with a _whuff _as Rose tackled her in a hug.

"Thank you. So much."

Donna laughed and hugged her back. "You're welcome, Rose. I had to chip in somehow—you're family, after all."

Rose stepped back, blushing furiously, and Ginny clapped her hands as Jackie's lips tightened. "Right! The dress is done, now let's get your head ready. We've got half an hour until you have to be downstairs, and you do _not_ want to see what Headmistress McGonagall is like when you're late."

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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The Great Lawn was flooded with people. Enormous stands circled the long aisles of seating leading up the main stage, and everywhere Rose looked the different House colors were tangled together in a vibrant knot.

Someone snorted behind her. "House rivalry's only important when it keeps us competing against each other, I guess." The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her and bumped her shoulder with his. "Good thing I gave up on it a long time ago. Nice earrings, by the way."

She grinned. "Why, thank you. Some weirdo dropped 'em off this mornin'—I'm still not sure if I should encourage him or not. He was a bit pretty, though." She turned to look at him, her tongue peeking out of her grin, and her eyebrows shot up. "What are you wearing?" The pale pink tie around his neck was intricately tied, the knot folded into the petals of a rose, and underneath his black graduation robes the pale blue pinstripes of his suit had been charmed to a soft pink that perfectly complimented her gown. His hair was carefully coiffed as well, combed up into a sleek pompadour.

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at her, striking a pose. "We match."

Rose dissolved into helpless giggles, and only laughed harder when she caught sight of his offended expression. She gasped for breath and wiped her eyes carefully, and patted his shoulder. "That we do."

The Doctor harrumphed and crossed his arms. "That'll teach me to surprise you."

"No, it's sweet—it really is." She bit her lip and looked him up and down. "You look rather dashing, actually, in an Elvis sorta way. Y'know, before the belly and the chest hair and everythin'."

His pout vanished as he executed a swift dance move, wiggled his hips and winked at her. "Feel free to call me the King."

She snorted, grinning at him."Yeah, you wish."

"Come on. I'd let you be my Queen."

Rose reddened. "Elvis didn't have a queen, not unless you're countin' Priscilla Presley, and I would _not_ look good in a beehive."

He cocked his head and considered her sleek updo, decorated with the pink ribbon from his gift. "I dunno. I think you could make it work." He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, and Rose caught her breath as he brushed his thumb along her cheek softly.

She flushed and smiled teasingly at him. "Is there somethin' you're not telling me?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and dropped his hand, shoving his fists in his pockets. "I'm secretly a time traveler, stranded fifty years out of my time."

"Considering I was there when you were born, I think you might be lying." They jumped at the light, amused voice, and Rose bit back at laugh at the Doctor's flustered expression.

She beamed at her mentor. "Hello, Sarah Jane."

"Hello, Rose." The brunette professor smiled at her. "You two had better head to your seats. The ceremony's starting soon."

"Right! Yes." The Doctor glanced at Sarah Jane before he shrugged and darted down to press a quick, light kiss to Rose's lips. "See you later."

She turned beet red and straightened her robes, ignoring Sarah's arched eyebrows. "Later."

Rose looked up at the stands as she made her way to her seat. Jackie was chatting with Wilf, the whole Weasley delegation seated on her other side.

Rose rooming with Ginny Weasley might have been the biggest stroke of luck Jackie'd had in the Wizarding World. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been absolutely thrilled to meet her, and their cheerful acceptance of all things Muggle calmed Jackie in a way that years of letters from Rose couldn't. Of course, it _was_ a bit strange when Mr. Weasley asked Jackie if she'd heard of this strange new device called a "cell phone". Rose would've paid good money to have a camera when Mr. Weasley exclaimed, "It's like the Floo network, only you don't have to worry about catching your hair on fire!"

The expression on Jackie's face was priceless, but at least she hadn't looked quite so lost anymore. Molly Weasley had stepped in to rescue Jackie from her overenthusiastic husband, and the two of them had been fast friends ever since.

Now there was a solid barricade of red hair between Jackie and the elderly silver-and-green bedecked Purebloods glaring at her. Rose smirked and settled herself in her seat. Her mum was well taken care of. Genevieve sat down beside her with a huff, and Rose raised an eyebrow. Now it was just herself she had to worry about.

A faint warmth emanated from her hip as Headmistress McGonagall took the stage, and Rose glanced sideways as she dug into the deep new pockets of her dress. Ginny had been startled to find that Muggle dresses often had no pockets—"Where do you keep your wand, then?"—but she'd quickly charmed some in, to Jackie's approving nod. Rose pulled out her small enchanted key and glanced apologetically at Genevieve, who tightened her lips and sniffed angrily.

Rose's eyebrows flew up as she read the tiny script of the Doctor's message. _So, you've been bugging me about what I'd do with my portion for years. And now... I think I know what I want to do._

Back in Fifth Year, when the Ministry had given her the 5,000 Galleon reward for Fenrir Greyback's death, Rose had insisted on splitting the money with the Doctor. No matter how much she'd teased him, though, he had refused to tell her his plans for it. Her brow furrowed as she sent a message across the little silver key. _And the best time for talking about this is __now__?_

_I figured it would be more interesting than yet another ceremony._

Rose snorted, ignoring Genevieve's disapproving glare. _Yet another? How many ceremonies have you attended?_

There was a long pause. _Well, okay. None since Donna's. But you can't tell me you don't know what she's going to say._

Headmistress McGonagall began speaking, and the key kept up a constant heat as the Doctor messaged her. _First, there'll be the talk about the distinguished legacy of Hogwarts... then there'll be the talk about House pride changing to Hogwarts pride... then she'll tell us to take our role in healing the Wizarding World seriously... then we'll sing the Hogwarts song._

Headmistress McGongall finished her speech and twitched her wand, and the familiar orchestration of the school song echoed out of the air around them. Rose glanced down at the key as it warmed her hand again, and her lips twitched at the Doctor's message. _Told you._

_Alright, so you did._ The Deputy Headmistress cleared her throat, beginning the endless register of names, and Rose sighed and slumped in her seat. _So what are you doing with the reward?_

There was a long pause before the Doctor's next message appeared. _I've been thinking about what I'd do post-Hogwarts, and, well, I've found a flat near Diagon Alley._ Rose blinked. If there was anything she'd thought the Doctor would invest in, she would've thought it might be some of the rarer materials for one of his clandestine research projects. Real estate had never occurred to her.

Deputy Headmistress Sprout cleared her throat and announced, "John Alistair Mott." Rose snickered as she applauded wildly, and the moment the Doctor left the stage, his cheeks vibrantly pink even as he grinned fit to split his face in two, she picked up the key. _Alistair? No wonder you never wanted me to find out your middle name._

He glanced over as he sat among the Slytherins and made a face at her. _Oi, he was a war buddy of Dad's. It's a good name._

_For an old man. _The Head Boy reached their aisle and signaled them to step forward, and Rose dropped the key into her pocket. As she reached the stage, though, it heated again, and she slipped it out with a wince.

_The thing about the flat is... it's a bit too large for one person to live there alone. _Rose's eyes widened, and she lost her breath as the next message scrolled over her frozen hands. _I was thinking... I could share it with you. If you want._

Professor Sprout looked up from the scroll of names and beamed at her, and Rose stared numbly at the stage stretched out in front of her.

"Rose Marion Tyler."

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Hours later, Rose laughed as she twirled on the dance floor Flitwick had charmed onto the Great Lawn. Donna danced around her, her hair glimmering like firelight in the soft glow of the fairy lights. Rose could hear her mother's boisterous laugh over by the banquet tables, and spared a thought to hope that Mrs. Weasley hadn't introduced her to Firewhiskey. Donna glanced over and caught someone's eye, a satisfied smirk growing on her face, and Rose had long enough to feel nervous before a brown cotton-clad arm reached out to snag her hand.

The Doctor spun her out and pulled her in again, settling her firmly against his narrow chest. His voice rumbled by her ear as she hid a smile in his suit, relishing the warmth of his arms in the Highland night air. "You can be a hard woman to get a hold of." His arms wrapped around her waist as he spoke, his thumbs rubbing against the gentle rasp of sequins with a maddening steadiness.

She leaned back and grinned, letting her fingers drift along the edges of his collar. "You're one to talk. So your little band of admirers decided to let you go?"

He grimaced and sent an annoyed glance at the little troupe on the other side of the dance floor, who caught his eye and waved. "They're not _mine_, Rose."

Her tongue sneaked out of her grin as he flushed. "I think they'd disagree." They were a motley club, a mix of years and houses that had dedicated themselves to learning the history of Hogwarts' artwork. Somehow one of the members—a Fourth year Hufflepuff named Elton Pope—had found out about the Doctor's catalog of the portraits, and they'd been following him around like ducklings ever since. It certainly hadn't helped when Victor Kennedy, one of the Doctor's housemates, had decided to make a project out of humiliating them, and the Doctor had deployed a few choice hexes in their defense.

Now, he just looked pained. "Can we not talk about L.I.N.D.A.? Please?" He cleared his throat. "Y'know, I did ask you a question earlier, and you never answered. And you call _me_ the rude one."

Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Did you? I don't remember a question."

His hands tightened around her, caging her in, and Rose bit back a smile. His palms were warm enough to feel it through the fabric, despite his attempt to play it cool. "Ha ha, very funny."

"I think so. About as funny as a boy asking his girlfriend to share a flat right before she walks across the stage during their graduation ceremony."

He winced. "All right, my timing wasn't the best."

She widened her eyes at him. "_Really?_"

The Doctor kept talking, ignoring her interruption. "But that's not the point!" He swallowed heavily. "Rose, will you move in with me?"

She was silent as they swayed, and as the song came to an end she took his hand and pulled him away from the crowds of celebrants. He watched her warily as she pulled him into a shadowy courtyard, and once they were settled on a cool stone bench she took a deep breath and spoke. "Are you sure? Livin' with someone, it's not easy, and a London flat's a lot smaller than a castle."

He smiled softly at her, his eyes warm in the darkness. "Rose Tyler. There's no one I'd rather share this with than you."

Rose looked away, blushing. "Yeah, you say that now. Wait until you see me with bedhead."

The Doctor's smile turned heated. "I can't wait." He leaned down, his hand ghosting over her waist, and pressed his lips to hers confidently. Rose let herself melt into him, anticipation fizzing through her veins as she shifted closer. The cotton of his suit was soft under her hands and if felt like every centimeter of her skin was awakening under his hands as he anchored her to him, his long fingers pressed tight against the sequined taffeta of her gown. Her hands drifted up to his lapels, dragging him closer, and he followed her lead eagerly. One hand trailed along her waist as the other slid up her back, crushing her to him as he opened his mouth against hers.

A soft moan of approval disturbed the quiet around them, and when the Doctor eased his kiss and leaned back, Rose was embarrassed to realize that it had come from her. The Doctor's grin was wide and very, very pleased, and he giggled suddenly. "Hello."

She grinned, biting her lip. "Hello." She moved in again but he shifted, pressing his lips to her hair and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Rose sighed and pressed her forehead against the crook of his neck.

Two years. They'd been together for two years, and they'd never made it past the occasional snog. Not that Rose could complain—after a bit of practice, it turned out the Doctor was _brilliant_ at snogging—but a small, bitter part of her wondered what she was doing wrong.

The Doctor hummed contentedly and tightened his arms, pulling her closer, and Rose forced that caustic voice down. She'd been with Mickey barely a month before they'd fallen into bed together, and look at how well _that_ had turned out. She'd barely seen him around the Estate since they'd broken up—at first because he was avoiding her, and then because of a new job that his grandmother Rita-Anne refused to tell Rose _or_ Jackie about.

Jackie. Oh, Merlin, _Jackie_. Rose groaned. How was she going to tell her mother she was moving in with the Doctor? Since the first moment they met—when Jackie discovered them kissing goodbye on Platform 9 ¾—her mum had been determined to dislike the Doctor.

The Doctor's voice was worried, in the darkness. "Rose? What's wrong?"

"How'm I going to tell Mum I'm moving out?"

He shuddered against her side. "That, you get to figure out yourself."

Rose scowled and elbowed him. "Oh, thanks, you're so supportive."

"Your mum hates me, Rose! D'you really want to make that worse?"

"Dunno, seems pretty logical right now."

"Oi!" He shifted and turned to face her, his eyes searching in the twilight. "You don't mean that."

She sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "You're right, I don't. Guess I'm just tired."

The Doctor rested a comforting hand on her back, but they both jumped in surprise when a deep voice rasped out of the shadows. "Ensure you are rested before the 27th, then. Be at the Ministry's main desk by 8 in the morning." Snape strolled past them as they sat, flabbergasted, and Rose turned to stare at the Doctor for a stunned moment before they burst into laughter.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, still gasping with amusement. "Oh, god, how long d'you think he's been there?"

The Doctor was still laughing with a hand clamped over his mouth, his cheeks so violently red Rose could see his flush even in the shadows. "He was just waiting... for us to come up for air."

"Rose?" Another voice called from the dance floor, and this one choked the Doctor's laughter in his throat. His eyes went wide, and Rose sighed and gave him a gentle shove.

"Go on, then. I'll find you later."

"_Thank_ you." He laid a brief, fervent kiss on her forehead and fled just as Jackie peered into the courtyard.

"Well, there you are. I've been lookin' for you for ages!" She wandered in, peering around her. "What're you doin' in the dark?"

Rose chuckled, then sighed. "Just... gettin' used to the idea of leavin' this place."

Jackie huffed and wobbled closer. Rose could smell the pungent, smoky scent of Firewhiskey on her, and she bit her lip. Jackie settled herself next to her daughter, tossing her hair. "Oh, come on. This is too good of a party to get all mopey at. B'sides, you don't have nothin' to be worried about." Her voice turned bitter. "There ain't nowhere you can't go."

"Mum?"

Jackie sighed and slumped next to her, staring blankly at the distant lights of the party. "I always knew I'd lose you to this, jus' like Pete. And here we are. Yer already half gone."

Rose turned to her, her nose prickling with the heavy scent of alcohol. "I'm right here."

The older woman snorted. "Tha's not what I mean, an' you know it." She lifted her hands helplessly. "'S like... you left that year, an' you never came back. My baby girl's gone. Sometimes I dunno who you are, anymore."

Rose's voice was brittle in the dark, her spine straight as an iron rod. "Mum, you're drunk."

Jackie's nostrils flared, and she clenched the stone bench tight. "'S nothin' I can't handle."

"Yes, it is. Did Mrs. Weasley give this to you? 'Cause she should've known better."

There was a harsh cackle of laughter from Jackie. "So it's not even _me_ that should've known better anymore!"

Rose's lips thinned. "That's not what I meant."

"What am I, a half-grown lump who can't even decide to get drunk on her own?"

"You know I don't mean that!"

"No, you do." The fire left Jackie's voice and she leaned forward, looking far older than her years. "I'm just the embarrassment, an' you don't need me anymore."

Rose gaped at her. "You think I don't need you?"

Jackie smiled humourlessly. "I know you don', sweetheart. You've got your magic an' your diploma an' your Doctor. What would you need a sad lush for?"

"'Cause you're my _mum_, an' I'll always need you. Just 'cause I'm goin' somewhere else, that doesn't mean I'm leaving you. I'll be back to visit, and I'll write and call, all the time. You'll be sick of me."

Jackie's head had lifted as Rose spoke, and she spoke suddenly. "Wait, you're done with school. Where'll you be visiting from?"

Rose bit her lip. "Mum, I've got a job. And… and I've got a flat. I won't be movin' back to the Estate."

Jackie was silent for a long moment, her mouth opening and closing. Finally, she cleared her throat. Her voice had lost its slur, and she sat up straight. "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"I only found about about 'em this afternoon, I swear. Kind of." Rose winced as she finished speaking, and sure enough, Jackie's eyes had narrowed dangerously.

Her lips pursed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I knew about the job thing since the end of fourth year."

"An' you only felt like tellin' me about it _now?_"

Rose looked down. "I didn't know it was for sure until just a bit ago."

Jackie sighed. "So what is it you're gonna be doing?"

She swallowed. "Actually... I'm not sure." At Jackie's disbelieving scoff, she raised her hands. "I know _where_ I'll be working!"

"Yeah, that'll do a lot of good."

Rose huffed. "It's not like it's a big deal, Mum. It's the Department of Mysteries. Nobody knows what happens there."

"Oh, you're makin' me feel _so_ much better about this."

"Oi, no need for the sarcasm. They've been keeping an eye on me for the past three years, so it's safe to say they know what I can and can't do."

Jackie raised her eyebrows. "Rose, sweetheart, are you even listenin' to yourself?"

"I'm just sayin'. If they still want me, it's 'cause of something I can do." She looked down. "'S kind of a nice feeling, actually."

Jackie let a breath out, her lips tight and her nostrils flared. After a long moment, she spoke. "So what's this about a flat?"

Rose looked down, blushing. "The Doctor found a place for us with his reward money."

Jackie nodded, her eyes hooded. "I thought it might be something like that." Her jaw clenched, unclenched. "Be careful, sweetheart. That boy's goin' places. Just be very sure they're places you wanna go, too."

A voice called Jackie's name in the distance, and she pulled Rose close for a moment. "That's Molly for me. Just think about it, Rose. That's all I ask." She paused and laid a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I dunno how you ended up the way you did, sweetheart, but I'm so proud of you."

Rose nodded into her shoulder, then stared into the darkness as she left. The party could wait.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Rose closed the last box with a flourish, pressing her shoulders back as she stretched. That was the last of it, then. Eighteen years of memories, packed in five boxes. Her things from Hogwarts were already sitting in the cramped flat, sharing space with a battered wooden wardrobe Wilf had dragged over a few nights ago.

Although Donna's mum had voiced loud, strident opposition to their plan—giving Rose a good idea why Donna moved out the instant she graduated—Wilf had just smiled and gripped Rose's hand when they'd announced they were moving in together.

Now, more than a fortnight after they'd moved in, the flat was almost ready. The Doctor had finally finished bringing his boxes over and was setting up some security wards with Sarah Jane while Rose finished packing up her bedroom at the Powell Estates. There was a knock at the front door, and Rose stuck her head out of the bedroom. "It's open!"

A familiar head of bushy brown hair poked around the door. "You ready yet?"

Rose smiled half-heartedly. "That's a big question." She paused, bit her lip, and gave a silent thanks that Jackie was at work while her friends helped her move out. "Hermoine... you and Ron have been together for a while, yeah?"

The older witch stepped into the flat and nodded. "Almost four years now."

"Have you guys ever—I can't _believe_ I'm askin' you this—well." She fumbled with her hands. "Have you ever... you know."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, amused. "_Been_ together? Yeah."

Rose blushed furiously. "So it's not a Wizard thing, waiting for marriage or anythin'."

"I should say not. Bill was well on his way when Molly and Arthur got married, and they're from one of the oldest Wizarding family lines still out there."

Rose bit her lip as they shrunk the boxes and slipped them in Hermione's purse. "Oh. Right."

Hermione slung her bag over her shoulder and cocked her head. "Why d'you ask?" Her eyes widened. "Have you and the Doctor not...?"

"_No_." Rose groaned and plopped down on the couch, running her hands over her face. "We haven't, an' we've been living together for two weeks. I thought it was just 'cause of the wards at school, you know? An' I guess I thought that now that we don't have to worry about the Howlers anymore or Mum or Sylvia bargin' down the door, we could actually get somewhere. But anytime I try to start something, he just finds some new way to brush me off." She looked up, her eyes watery. "What am I doing wrong?"

Hermione made a strange noise, half-laugh, half-sigh. "Rose. Have you tried talking to him about this?"

Rose threw her hands up and slumped back against the couch. "What 'm I supposed to say? 'Hey, I want to jump your bones, let's boff?'"

Hermione hid a grin. "Maybe not in those exact words." Rose made a discontented noise, and Hermione sat beside her. "You need to talk to _him_ about this. And not just because I really don't want to know." She raised her eyebrows at Rose's flush. "Come on. Do you want to think about Ron and I together, like that? Thought not." She reached out and tapped Rose's hand. "But I will tell you this. There's no way either of you is going to be happy about that part of your relationship unless you can talk to each other about it. It's nothing to be scared of."

"I know. I just..." Rose looked down. "I'm so tired of waiting, but I don't want to mess this up."

"You won't." Hermione gave Rose a small grin and stood, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. I'm sure Lover Boy is wondering where you are."

ΘΣ

Hours later, Rose took in a deep breath as the Doctor waved goodbye to Sarah Jane as she apparated away. Hermione and Wilf had already left, and although Donna had dropped by after work, this was the first moment they were alone in several days.

The Doctor turned to her and rubbed his hands together. "Right! Well, while you were lollygagging about, Sarah and I were installing the wards. D'you wanna see?"

Rose cocked her head to the side. "Are there any that block people from bein' able to see in?"

He raised an eyebrow, confused. "Well, yeah, but why d'you ask?"

She grinned shyly at him. "Raise it."

"Why?"

"Jus' do it, okay?"

He shrugged. "All right, then." He turned towards the windows and slipped his wand out of his pocket, waving it in an intricate pattern as he muttered the incantation. "There. The anti-apparition ward's up, too, began that one when Sarah left—" He turned around, and his jaw dropped. The loose sweatshirt and jeans Rose had been wearing were gone, and she stood before him in only a scant set of black lace lingerie.

She bit her lip and clenched her fists at her sides as he stared at her. After a long moment of silence, she cleared her throat. "So, I figure two years is long enough."

He continued to stare at her, mouth gaping, and she took in a deep breath, amused to notice despite her haze of nerves that his gaze sharpened as she did so. "I've been thinkin' about this a lot lately. Well, not just lately—for a while now. An' it's just... we're sharin' everything, now. And I want to share this with you. I want to share _me_ with you."

At that, his eyes snapped up from her chest. "Rose—" his voice broke, and he winced and cleared his throat hurriedly. "Rose, you don't have to do this."

She raised an eyebrow and propped her hands on her hips, annoyance clearing away all traces of anxiety. "I want to. Or did your brain short out when I took off my clothes?"

He blushed and tugged on his ear. "That is a distinct possibility. But it's not what I meant."

Rose rolled her eyes, then narrowed them. Stacked on the floor beneath the Doctor's worn satchel there was a stack of glossy, pink-spackled magazines. She strode over to them, ignoring his gulp.

_Hello. Cosmopolitan. Woman's Weekly_. She turned to stare at him, and he flushed a deep red. "Doctor, what the hell?"

He tugged on his ear and stared at the floor, refusing to look in her direction. "Sylvia was throwing them out a while ago, and they seemed like they would be useful."

"For what? Learning how to dye your hair?"

"No!" He jerked on his ear again, winced, and shoved his hand into his hair. "Well, I wasn't gonna ask Dad for advice about... about sex."

"So you went to your aunt's discarded mags." He blushed harder, and a wide grin broke across her face. "Right, well, you can ignore all that."

He looked up, eyes wide and hopeful. "Really? 'Cause they made it all sound so complicated. And I don't think you're fond of cucumbers, at least not in that way." His nose wrinkled. "At least I hope not in that way."

Rose snickered. "Cucumbers and I are strictly platonic, I promise." She moved closer to him, and he backed away. She bit her lip, suddenly uncertain. "What's wrong?"

"Those magazines, they said. Um. They said that the first time would be uncomfortable, that... that it would hurt you."

"Oh. _Oh_." She blushed. "It won't hurt me, I swear."

"But you can't know that, they were very firm about it—"

"I think I bloody well can. Doctor, I'm not a virgin."

His eyes were huge. "You're not?"

She reddened and stuck her chin out. "No. I've mentioned I had an ex before, I know."

The Doctor looked away. "I um... I just didn't know that you and he had... well..."

"Had sex?"

He flushed and stared at his feet. "Yeah."

"Well, we did." She bit her lip and cleared her throat. "'S that gonna be a problem?"

The Doctor looked up, startled. "No! No, it's not. It's just... " He took in a deep breath, let it out. "I don't. Have an ex."

Her eyes widened. "Oh. Right."

"Right." She stayed silent, and he peeked at her through the messy fringe of his hair. "Say something, Rose? Please?"

She snickered suddenly, and he folded in on himself. Her eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "Oh, no! I wasn't laughing at you, Doctor, it's just—" she snickered again, then bit her cheek. "I was gonna ask you if you wanted one, but that's not really the tone I was goin' for."

He chuckled and finally, finally looked up from his bare feet. "The content, either, I hope."

"Definitely not the content, no." She reached out and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "'S nothing to be scared of, Doctor. It's you, and me, and that's all I ever want. No cucumbers, I promise." She shivered in the air-conditioned chill. "Could we move this to the bedroom, though? It's a bit nippy out here."

"Oh, I should say so." He leered at her chest exaggeratedly and laughed as she smacked his shoulder.

Rose rolled her eyes at him and they were still for a moment, staring at each other with goofy smiles on their faces, before the Doctor swooped down to press his lips to hers. She made a muffled noise of surprise, and the kiss shifted from joyful and innocent to something far different, something that set her skin alight as he teased her mouth with his tongue, as she bumped her nose against his in their sudden struggle to get closer.

His lips moved carefully, steadily against hers, not pressing forward but utterly refusing to ease their gentle assault. Rose's hands shifted as he played with her mouth, one trailing upwards to the marvellous thicket of his hair and one shifting down, tracing the smooth press of a shoulder blade, the sharp ridges of his spine and the wonderfully tense muscles of his bottom. The Doctor squeaked into her mouth as she squeezed his bum, letting her fingers trail over the worn denim.

His own hands were moving frantically, distractedly over her skin, too curious to settle. As she opened her mouth, teasing his tongue with her own, the Doctor reached around her back.

His lips paused against hers, and she felt his frown. Rose released his mouth with a wet gasp and grinned breathlessly up at his confused expression. "It's got a front clasp, Doctor." She reached up and undid her bra, holding it shut as she backed away from him. "But let's move this to the bedroom."

She turned her back and slid it off, tossing a coy glance over her shoulder as she cast it away. He looked wonderful and ridiculous, gaping at her with his t-shirt rucked up and his eyes glazed with lust. She winked. "Or were you gonna stay there all night?"

Rose stepped into the bedroom and grinned as she heard the Doctor's jeans hit the floor with a thud.

ΘΣ


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yesterday's chapter didn't really fit the guidelines for this site (it's distinctly nsfw), so I didn't bother putting it up here. If you'd like to read it anyway, it's on my Tumblr and Whofic account, both under Jaxin88 as well.**

ΘΣ

The doorbell buzzed obnoxiously, reverberating through the cluttered, half-organized flat. Rose pulled away from the Doctor's lips reluctantly, despite his mewl of disappointment, to peer at the small clock that sat next to their threadbare couch. She blinked.

"8:00? Blimey, they're fast."

The Doctor ignored her in favor of pressing a line of kisses against her jaw, and she sighed and shoved him away half-heartedly. "Doctor, somebody's got to answer the door if you want dinner." He pulled back and pouted, crossing his arms, and she snickered and wriggled out from under him, tugging down her worn nightshirt from where he'd rucked it up around her hips. She spun around to face him as she walked towards the door. "You waited two years to seduce me, you can wait ten minutes to do it again."

He draped himself over the back of the couch, looking gloriously rumpled. "Can I, Rose? Can I?"

"Guess you'll have to find out." She winked and ducked out the door, and the Doctor stretched the full length of the couch with a broad, content smile on his face.

Minutes later she rushed back in the door, and as the Doctor looked up eagerly his smile faded. "Rose? What's wrong?"

She tossed the pizza onto their small card table and spun around. "Turn on the telly. Mrs. Macintosh down the hall said there was a plane going down over Big Ben."

The Doctor frowned and dug the remote out from under the seat cushions. The small screen flickered into life, showing an overview of London with a swiftly growing speck in the distance, and a steady female voice rang out into the silence. "_The British Airways Concorde was scheduled to arrive in Heathrow at 8:15, but mechanical failures have plagued the fully-booked flight for at least half an hour. An electrical storm hit mid-Atlantic, and the pilot has struggled for control ever since. The Royal Air Force has provided an escort, but has so far been unable to shift the flight path._"

As the plane came into view, Rose grabbed the Doctor's arm. The sleek white vessel skimmed over the city, smoke and sparks coming from the tail. As it screamed over Canary Wharf, though, a trio of brilliant orange lights streamed out of one of the buildings, slamming into the plane with a burst of static that cut through the broadcast.

The newsreader's voice rose in well-mannered surprise. "_In an unexpected development, there seems to be a_ _some sort of beam affecting the plane. It seems to be_—_oh, my Lord, it's moving the plane._"

Rose went white, and she turned to the Doctor. He spoke carefully, eyes still glued to the screen. "That look like magic to you?" She nodded, eyes wide, and he swallowed heavily and turned to her. "Yeah. Me, too."

"_Breaking news: the military has confirmed that the beam originated in the Torchwood Institute, an offshoot of the Armed Forces. Air Marshal James Dunworthy has announced that the plane is expected to land in the River Thames. All Riverside parks are to be evacuated, and civilians are advised to stay off the streets or to take shelter in nearby buildings until the emergency has been resolved._"

Rose turned off the television and ignored her rumbling stomach. She looked at the Doctor. "Where did you put the Floo powder?"

"It's on top the books in the corner."

Rose nodded sharply and scrambled for the fireplace, sending up silent thanks for the tiny Wizarding street they'd found tucked in the middle of London, just a few blocks from Diagon Alley. With a quick _incendio_ the fire roared to life, and she tossed a pinch of silvery dust into the fire and leaned forward. "Sarah Jane Smith."

A long-fingered hand rested against her back, and Rose glanced back to find the Doctor crouched next to her. He grinned and leaned in, his nose brushing against her ear. "Remind me later to tell you how gorgeous I think your bum is."

Her lips twitched. "So that's not tellin' me right now?"

"Welllll, it might involve more _showing_ than telling."

Rose bit her lip and grinned at him, and there was a rustle on the other end of the fire. "Sorry about the delay, things are a little mad around here—Rose!" Sarah Jane's face appeared on the other side of the fireplace, and the Doctor cleared this throat and backed off. "What's wrong?"

Rose took in a deep breath. "Have you been watchin' the news?"

Sarah's lips tightened, and she shook her head. "Yes. And the Ministry is _not_ happy with whoever that was. Kingsley's been fuming."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Kingsley?" He shoved his head into the fireplace next to Rose's, and Sarah Jane raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Kingsley as in Kingsley Shacklebolt? The Minister of Magic?"

Sarah Jane's lips quirked up, but despite the fond exasperation in her voice there was a light blush in her cheeks. "Yes, Kingsley Shacklebolt. But I can assure you that he would much rather be Kingsley than the Minister of Magic."

A wide grin spread across the Doctor's face, and he laughed suddenly, a loud bark of amusement. "So _that_ was what Dad was teasing you about!"

She cleared her throat. "Did you call for a reason, Rose?"

Rose elbowed the Doctor, who was still grinning like a loon. "Yeah. We just thought you might know what was goin' on."

Sarah sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place, then." She raised a hand as the Doctor opened his mouth. "And before you ask, no, he doesn't know, either."

The Doctor frowned. "That's not what I was going to ask!" Both Rose and Sarah Jane watched him skeptically, and he pursed his lips. "Well okay, maybe it was. But! You're still assuming things, and you know what they say about people who assume things." Sarah Jane's brow wrinkled, and he paused. "Okay, never mind that. But you have to have some idea."

She shrugged. "It's only just happened, and besides, I'm just a professor nowadays."

"Poppycock." He winced and flushed. "Merlin. Forget I said that. But you know everything, Sarah Jane, and if you don't know something, you know where to look."

She leaned back. "Why are you two so interested?"

Rose leaned forward. "Who wouldn't be? The Wizarding world managed to keep the entire bloody war out of Muggle view, we've worked too hard for this to be messed up now."

Sarah Jane paused, pressed her lips together. "Not exactly."

"What?"

She looked back at Rose. "We didn't keep the entirety of the war from the Muggles. There was a task force designated to pooling Wizarding and Muggle resources against Voldemort, but I haven't heard anything about them since the war ended."

The Doctor's eyebrows pulled together. "What was this?"

"Scrimgeour put it together. Called it the—" Sarah Jane's face flickered and vanished, and the Doctor yanked Rose out of the fire as the Floo network devolved into roaring flames.

She stared at the fireplace, then turned to the Doctor. "What the _hell _was that?"

"I have no idea." He caught her cheek, brushing a thumb against the heated skin. "Are you all right?"

"Feel a bit warm, but I'm okay. If I was in there a few seconds more, though—"

The Doctor grabbed her, pulling her into his arms as he sprawled on the floor against the couch. "Don't talk about that."

Rose shifted against his desperate grip, then froze. His hands were shaking. "Doctor, I'm okay."

"Yeah, well you very nearly _weren't_."

She shook her head, twisting in his grip until she was straddling him. "Hey. _Hey._" She cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. "I'm fine."

"Rose." His fingers tangled in her hair, and he yanked her down to meet his kiss. Rose melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The Doctor's nose bumped into hers, his mouth opening against her as he traced her lips with his tongue and then nipped at her lower lip. Rose gasped as his other hand dove underneath her nightshirt, cupping her arse before dragging her forward against him, and as her mouth opened he shoved forward to trace his tongue along hers.

She pressed herself against him, enjoying the rub of her nightshirt between their chests, but as she settled into his lap she frowned. His heart was thundering against her, and she leaned back, catching her breath as his hips jerked upwards into hers. The Doctor chased her lips, but she pressed a finger against his mouth. "Hey."

A flash of impatience crossed his features. "What?"

She peppered his face with soft kisses and loosened her grip on his shoulders, letting her fingers trail across his pulse point. "There's no rush, Doctor. We've got all the time in the world, yeah?"

His face crumpled. "Be more careful, Rose, _please_ be more careful."

She tugged his hair gently. "Oi. S'not like I planned it."

"Don't care." He swallowed heavily and rested his forehead against her neck. "Don't make me do this without you."

She tugged his head up and stared into eyes, willing him to believe her. "I'm not leavin', Doctor. Not ever."

He shifted up for a kiss, and Rose lost herself in the soft, insistent press of his lips. His mouth trailed down, down as his hand rucked her nightshirt up, and as she rocked against him she gasped, "Bedroom."

The Doctor shook his head and buried his face in her chest, and Rose gasped as he latched onto her nipple. "Doctor, 'm gettin' rug burn on my knees."

He fumbled for the table and grabbed his wand before muttering a charm that turned the threadbare carpet under them into a down comforter. Rose whimpered as he reared up, clutching her to him carefully as he shifted her onto her back. He leaned back to yank his shirt off, and blinked down at Rose as she yanked her nightshirt off.

She grinned up at him. "Well, come on, then. Not gonna leave a lady waiting, are you?"

He growled and dove forward, and Rose's laugh turned into a moan.

ΘΣ


	6. Chapter 6

ΘΣ

Hours later Rose carded her fingers through the Doctor's hair, watching the evening shadows play across their skin. She swallowed. "Doctor?"

He mumbled an affirmative into her chest, and she bit her lip. "D'you think this'll actually work?"

His head popped up at that, hair looking nearly as startled as he did. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

She huffed out a quiet laugh. "No, I'm not talkin' about us. You can stop looking so worried."

"Oh." He shifted upwards, resting his chin against her shoulder, and peered up at her. "So what were you talking about?"

"Us working at the Department of Mysteries."

He snorted. "Because that's so clear."

"Shut up."

Her lip was still caught beneath her teeth, and his eyes softened. "Rose, you'll be fine."

"Will I?" She rested an arm against her eyes. "The last time I had a job, it was at a chip shop down the block."

He shrugged, the covers rustling around him. "And I've never had a job. Sounds like you're the one with the advantage here."

"Yeah, but you're _used _to this, Doctor. You grew up in this."

His eyebrows shot up. "You forgetting something?"

Rose sniffed. "What?"

"You're a witch, remember? Or have the last few years slipped your memory? Must be quite the surprise, finding yourself in bed with a stranger." He preened. "Then again, I am rather dashing."

She smacked his shoulder. "That's helpful."

"I'm not mocking you!" Rose raised her eyebrows, and he smirked. "All right, I am. A little. But it's because you're being ridiculous."

She scowled at the ceiling. "Just what every girl likes to hear."

He crawled up on his elbows, bracing himself above her. "You _are_ being ridiculous, because you're going to be brilliant. You couldn't be anything else."

Her lips wobbled at that, and he grinned down at her. "Was that a smile? I think that was a smile."

Her mouth twitched. "Shut up."

The Doctor collapsed next to her, throwing his arm to his forehead dramatically. "You keep telling me to shut up, and I'm going to start feeling rather used."

She grinned at him, her tongue poking out between her teeth. "Well, I am just using you for your body. Got a thing for skinny freckled types, y'know." He snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, and she flipped over next to him. "No, don't. I love your freckles."

He watched her warily. "You do?"

"Of course I do." She bit her lip and grinned at him. "They're cute."

He pursed his lips. "Oh, they're _cute_. That's wonderful."

Rose trailed a path along his freckles. "In a very manly way?"

The Doctor snorted. "You get points for effort, at least."His eyes softened as he watched her. "Two more days, Rose. You don't have anything to be afraid of. You'll see."

She turned abruptly and hid her face against his chest, blinking hard. "I love you."

Rose could almost feel his smile as his arms tightened around her. "I love you, too."

The quiet hum of traffic outside was their lullaby as they fell asleep.

ΘΣ

Two days later Rose stared at her reflection critically as she played with her hair, curling it loosely before charming it up. A hurried knock sounded at the washroom door, echoing strangely in the cramped space. "Rose? You almost ready?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute!" She scowled at her reflection and left her hair up, finishing her makeup with one last coat of mascara. She swung the door open and pursed her lips at the Doctor. "What's got you so upset, then? You look plenty ready to me."

He gestured at his head emphatically. "My hair takes time, Rose!"

She snorted. "Yeah, more than mine."

He looked away from the mirror. "What was that?"

Rose shrugged, resting her hands on her hips. The Doctor was taking up a surprising amount of space, despite his slim frame. "Nothing. Well scoot, I've got to finish getting dressed."

He eyed her scant dressing gown and smirked. "Pity, that."

"Oi. You're insatiable, you are." She smacked his shoulder and edged around him, leaving the washroom after a quick squeeze to his bum. She giggled at his yelp and doffed her dressing gown, dressing in a sleek pair of slacks and a pink blouse. She was deciding between a pair of trainers and a pair of heels when the Doctor emerged from the bedroom, his hair once again a carefully constructed mess.

He raised his eyebrows. "That's what you're wearing?"

Rose flushed. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's just—it's rather Muggle. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course! It's just the Ministry of Magic, you know?"

Rose's mouth pressed into a thin line, and she lifted her chin. "If anyone's got a problem with that, I've got a problem with them." The Doctor's lips twisted up, and she tightened her shoulders. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." She glared at him, and he shrugged and grinned mischievously. "I just wish I had time to take those Muggle clothes off you. You're gorgeous when you're angry."

She fought a smile. "'Cept when I'm angry at you."

"Then, you're terrifying." She lost the battle and giggled as he pressed a kiss to her hair, giving her a quick, tight hug. "Ready to go?"

"Much as I can be, I guess." He stepped away, and Rose's eyes widened. "Wait!"

He froze. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothin's _wrong_, I just remembered something." She bit her lip. "Close your eyes."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"'Cause I said to, of course."

He smirked, but closed his eyes obediently. "Of course."

She hurried to the closet, canceling the shrinking spell on the tiny packet tucked in her underwear drawer. It grew into a large, loosely wrapped package, and she turned around to find the Doctor watching her. "Oi!"

He tugged on his ear as she glared at him. "What? It's wrapped! I didn't see anything."

"Oh, just take it. And if you think you'll find anything else in there, you're wrong."

He pouted, but couldn't hide his eagerness as he accepted the gift. "What's this for, then?"

She looked down, her hands tucked into her back pockets. "Belated graduation present. I ran across it as I was looking for some furniture." The Doctor ripped through the fragile paper, his brow knotting as tawny suede appeared. He tugged it out of the tattered package and unfolded a long, heavy trench coat lined with cerulean silk. He stared at it, silent, and Rose swallowed. "Had to barter pretty hard for it—the owner claimed Janis Joplin gave it to him—but I thought you'd like it."

"Like it?" His gaze moved from the coat to Rose's face. "I _love_ it." He whirled it around his shoulders, long limbs tangling in the sleeves, and Rose tutted and helped him into it. He grinned and struck a pose. "What do you think? Do I look dashing?"

He did, actually. The coat swept down to his ankles, its long lines accentuating his shoulders and slim waist. A slow smile crept over Rose's face. "Now _I'm _the one wishing we had more time."

The Doctor made a strange noise in the back of his throat, a crow of pure glee, then froze as he peered at the bedside clock. "Right! Come on, then. Don't wanna be late our first day, eh?"

She shoved her feet into her trainers and followed him to the living room, pulling on a jacket as she went. "Don't look at me, you're the one who spent ages on their hair."

The Doctor waggled his eyebrows and preened at her. "Well, yeah, but it was worth it." With a pinch of Floo powder and a shout he vanished.

Rose grabbed some of her own, closing her eyes tight as she stepped into the glowing flames. "The Ministry of Magic!"

The world folded into labyrinthine chaos, and Rose stumbled as she emerged. A familiar grip caught her as she wavered, and she opened her eyes to find the Doctor in front of her. "You alright there?"

"Yeah, 'm fine." Her eyes widened as she took in the view in front of her. The Ministry of Magic stretched out endlessly in front of them, a gleaming pathway crowded with wizards and witches of every description. Rose stepped to the side hurriedly as a trio of witches hurried past, their smooth black hair tied back and their cheongsams a riot of color and embroidery. A pair of wizards in vibrantly colored dashikis strolled past, laughing at a private joke. A witch in a deep green robe emerged from the fireplace behind them, grumbling as she passed them, and the Doctor and Rose looked at each other and grinned. They made their way to the gates at the entrance to the Atrium and pulled out the blank cards Snape had given them so many years ago.

The watch-wizard yawned as he skimmed through the wands of the wizards and witches bustling past him, but when they handed him their cards his eyes widened. "Huh. Don't see many of these nowadays."

The Doctor's brow furrowed. "There a problem?"

"Nope, you're right where you're supposed to be." He handed their wands back and tapped the cards with his wand. "Just follow the directions." He peered down at them and flattened his lips. "Good luck."

Rose glanced up at the Doctor as the line pushed them forward and raised her eyebrows. "Well. _That _was ominous."

A wide grin broke across his face. "I know!"

She grabbed his hand, beaming back at him. "Come on!"

The cards bade them take the lift, so they pressed themselves against the back as it filled with people. The Doctor was watching the memos darting overhead suspiciously, a hand half-raised to protect his hair, and Rose smiled and shrugged at the elderly witch scrunched in front of them. The old woman rolled her eyes good-naturedly at the Doctor, and Rose pressed her lips together against a giggle.

Floor after floor, and the cards remained quiescent while the passengers on the lift flowed off and on. Rose's fingers twitched as she checked her card—again—before a cool hand wrapped around hers.

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Hey. We'll get there."

The last passenger on their lift, a dumpy wizard in moth-eaten robes, glanced back at them and harrumphed before stepping off as a feminine voice announced the Minister for Magic and Support Staff. The gate slid shut and the lift jolted in its track, sending the Doctor and Rose stumbling against the walls of their wooden cell.

The Doctor frowned. "...I don't think that was supposed to happen."

Rose, who had been gathering their scattered belongings from the floor, yelped. A thin black script spread across the cards. _Yes, it was. Hold on._

"Hold on? To wha—" His question petered into a strangled shout as the lift rocketed upwards, spinning as it went. The Doctor clung to the railing and Rose clung to him, breathlessly thankful that she hadn't had breakfast that morning.

The lift came to an abrupt halt as it clicked into a track, sliding to a slow stop. Rose pulled herself up, straightening her clothes as the Doctor mourned his wrecked hair. The doors slid open with a demure _ding_, and she looked back at him with a laugh as she stepped out. "It doesn't look any different, Doctor. Now come on." There was a strangled intake of air near her, and she glanced around and froze.

"Rose?" A young black man stood in the entryway to a gleaming foyer, his crisp, dark uniform a sharp contrast to the chrome and marble.

Rose's eyes widened. "Mickey? What're you doing here?"

"I work here, what're you doing here?"

A wide grin broke across her face. "It's our first day."

Mickey frowned. "Our?"

The Doctor emerged from the elevator, still fussing with his hair. "You may not be able to tell, but I can. Oh, hullo!" He grinned at Mickey and stuck out his hand. "I'm the Doctor."

Mickey glanced at the proffered hand and tightened his lips. "Sure. Well, we're behind enough already—might as well get started."

Rose's eyebrows pulled together. "Started on what?" Beside her, the Doctor glared at Mickey and muttered insults about the lift.

Mickey snorted at the Doctor stepped to the side, waving an arm at the gleaming hallway behind them. "I'm here to be your guide. Welcome to Torchwood."

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	7. Chapter 7

ΘΣ

A wide hall stretched out in front of them, the floors marble-paved and endless. Everywhere they looked, people hurried to and fro—wizards in close-cut black robes, scientists in gleaming lab coats.

Rose swallowed heavily. "Blimey, Mickey, what is this place?"

He straightened proudly, glancing down at the badge on his chest. A stylized T was settled over his heart, backed by a pair of crossed wands. "'S England's best defense, is what it is. See, back in the day Queen Vicky got suspicious about all the stuff you lot were up to, so she sent some noble to check it out. What she didn't know was that the bloke was a wizard, an' a weird one at that. He had a bunch of friends in both worlds, an' he wanted 'em to work together. He convinced the magic people science was useful, an' he convinced Vicky they were loyal citizens." He shrugged. "So, yeah, that's what Torchwood is. Science an' magic, best of both worlds. You lot get to know what's going on in the Muggle world, and the military ain't half happy with what comes out of here." He puffed out his chest a bit. "That plane rescue the other day? That was us."

"Of _course_ it was."

Mickey's brow furrowed at the Doctor's bitter tone. "Yeah, it was. An' we saved the lives of hundreds of people. So what the hell's your problem?"

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. "My _problem _is that your precious Torchwood basically put up a light show saying, _look at us! Look at what we can do! _The Wizarding World is hidden for a reason, Rickey." He snorted. "Not that I'd expect you to understand."

Rose's voice was cold as ice. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He whirled to stare at her. "Because he... he... just _can't!_ He's a Muggle, Rose, he's not going to understand how important the Statute of Secrecy is!"

Mickey's jaw clenched. "So knowin' that the world's a hell of a lot bigger than people think, that if I say one wrong word I'll be dragged away from my family, that I'm in on a secret that no one can _ever_ know, I don't understand that? I may not use magic, but that don't mean I'm stupid."

Rose crossed her arms, glaring at the Doctor. "His Gran's a witch, Doctor, an' a damn good one at that. How d'you think I kept up when I wasn't at Hogwarts?"

The Doctor paled. "His Gran. _His_ Gran?"

She arched an eyebrow and tightened her lips. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Your ex's Gran."

"Oh." She flushed. "Right."

Mickey scowled. "Yeah, I am. Me an' Rose used to go together. What's it to you?"

The Doctor lifted his chin and stepped closer to Rose. "Nice to meet you, Rickey. I'm the Doctor, Rose's boyfriend."

Mickey's jaw dropped for a moment before he crossed his arms pugnaciously. "It's Mickey."

The Doctor gave him a patronizing look. "Sure it is."

"'S a hell of a lot better name than 'the Doctor'." He snorted. "Blimey, Rose, you sure can pick 'em."

She'd been watching both of them, a slow scowl etching itself on her face. "Yeah, seems like I can. Tell me what the hell we're here for, Mickey."

"Oi, what's the lip for? 'S not like I'm the one bein' a twat—"

She crossed her arms. "It's not?" The Doctor grinned triumphantly at that, and Rose shot him a poisonous glare. "Shut it, you."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You said more than enough. _Both_ of you. Now tell us what we're doing here so we can get on with it without you two pissin' all over each other."

"Admirably succinct, Miss Tyler, if a bit crass."

She paled and turned, and Severus Snape arched an eyebrow at her. He was dressed in a black turtleneck and charcoal slacks, his hair pulled into a simple knot. If Rose hadn't known who he was, she wouldn't've given him a second glance if she'd passed him on the streets of London. "Sir, I—uh..."

"No explanation necessary, Miss Tyler. If the three of you are quite done with your frankly juvenile squabble, I'll escort Miss Tyler and Mr. Mott to their new workspace. Mr. Smith, your services are no longer necessary."

"Right." Mickey saluted him easily and strode off, throwing a dirty glance at the Doctor as he left.

The Doctor scowled as they hurried behind Snape. "So what's he here for? 'Cause if he's the meet and greet, you need to find a new man."

Snape arched an eyebrow at him, rushing them past row upon row of wizards and scientists working together. "Mr. Smith is one of the most talented members of our Research and Development department, Mr. Mott. I'd suggest putting some effort into understanding your acquaintances before you dismiss them." Rose, who'd been on the receiving end of more than one of Hermione's rants about teachers and responsibility, nearly choked. Snape glared at her. "Something to say, Miss Tyler?"

"No, sir."

"Good." A strained silence settled over them, and Rose occupied herself with studying the people they hurried past. A brunet scientist with a wide mouth was glaring at a computer screen while the petite Asian witch next to him worked Arithmantic calculations in the air. A man in a crisp suit hastily tugged a black woman in a grey uniform out of their way, glaring at Snape as they passed.

Rose's lips quirked. Apparently his methods hadn't changed much since he left Hogwarts.

He halted in front of a small cubicle in the corner, spinning around to face them. "You will spend your days here, when you aren't in the field. You will report to me. Any problems you have will be dealt with on your own, as I am not to be bothered with the location of the bathroom or how long your lunch hour is."

Rose raised her hand warily. "So what is it we'll be doing?"

"No need to raise your hand, Miss Tyler, this isn't the classroom. You will receive your assignments daily, and it will be your responsibility to handle them. Now, as to what you will be doing. You are to observe magical/Muggle interactions. Any reports of supernatural occurrences in Muggle locations, you will be the first response."

The Doctor's eyes brightened. "Ooh! Do we get to wear black suits?"

Rose patted his arm and pressed her lips together, looking away from Snape's glare. "You'll have to excuse him, he an' his dad've watched a bit too much X-Files."

He snorted. "There can never be too much."

"Right."

Snape's lips thinned. "You and Miss Tyler are to be as inconspicuous as possible. You are on survey missions only—if you see a burgeoning magical event, contact us immediately. Do not intervene unless it is absolutely necessary."

The Doctor blinked. "So we're what—your eyes on the outside?"

The older man's eyebrows winged up. "Did you expect to lead a team on your first day?"

"No, I just—"

"You just what?" The Doctor closed his mouth, and Snape nodded. "There is an art to assimilation, Mr. Mott, and it is one in which you are in sore need of training." He held up a long, pale hand, and a sheaf of papers dove into his grip. "When you are finished filling out your paperwork, that is."

The Doctor's mouth fell open, and Snape smirked. "I'll expect those on my desk by the end of the day."

ΘΣ


	8. Chapter 8

ΘΣ

Rose accepted her stack of papers and stepped into the cubicle, brushing past the Doctor without a word. She settled herself at one of the desks and pulled a ballpoint pen from her bag.

The Doctor stomped in after her, tossing his sheaf of papers on his desk. "Paperwork. _Paperwork? _Really? 'S not exactly what you think about when they tell you you're going to be working in the Department of Mysteries. Or an offshoot of the Department of Mysteries, I suppose." Rose remained silent, hunched over her desk, and he cleared his throat. "Rose?"

She tightened her lips. "'M busy."

"Oi, not more than I am." She ignored him, tapping her pen against her desk, and he sighed. "All right, I acted like a bit of an idiot back there."

"Just a bit."

"Rose." He gripped the top of her chair and swung it around, catching the other side with his free hand. "Will you look at me?"

She twitched her wand, raising a sound ward as she took in a deep breath. "What the _hell_ was that about, Doctor?"

He winced. "It wasn't my best moment, I know—"

She stood, knocking his hands off her chair. "I'd say not. Mickey's one of my oldest friends, Doctor, and you treated him like shite. An' why? 'Cause he's a Muggle. Well guess what, Doctor? So's my Mum, and so are a _lot_ of my friends, and if you've got a problem with that I don't even know what to say."

He looked horrified. "Rose, no!"

"Then you'd better come up with a damn good explanation, or else I'm movin' back in with Mum."

"Rose, no don't—it's _not_ because he's a Muggle!" The Doctor stood back and ran a hand through his hair. "I grew up hearing over and over and over again, _the Muggles cannot know_. When Dad was in the war, some of his platoon mates found out he was a wizard. Late nights in the trenches, things slip. They insisted he use his magic against the Nazis, and Dad wouldn't. Not against anyone who didn't have magic and a sound mind themselves."

His jaw tightened. "They… they didn't like that. A group of 'em banded together one night, attacked him and broke his wand. They were going to chuck him out of the trench, leave him to die out in the open, when the Brig came along. If it hadn't been for him, my dad would be dead. And he doesn't blame them for it, not really. But he's always reminded me that some people just can't handle knowing about power like that, and not having access to it. And what happened to the plane the other day? That wasn't a move by a group that understands what having magic means. So you can see why I'm a little upset."

Rose swallowed. "Oh, god, that's awful. 'S that why you've got that name?"

The Doctor nodded and looked away. "Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. So I'm pretty lucky in the name department, really."

"I'd say so." She took in a deep breath. "But that's not the only reason, and you know it."

He attempted to look offended, but her level stare won out and he sighed. "All right, _fine_. I'm jealous. But can you blame me? He's your ex, and he's the one who… who..."

"Who I lost my virginity to?"

The Doctor blushed scarlet. "Yes. And maybe, maybe I wish that had been me."

She wrinkled her nose. "Trust me, you don't. We wouldn't have enjoyed ourselves half so much. My first time, well, we were both rather tipsy on wine I stole from Mum, and I cried in the loo for a half hour afterwards."

His eyes darkened. "Did he—"

"No! No. I'm the one who started it. I'd just watched too many soaps, and um... expectations and reality were a bit different." She winced. "Dunno if poor Mick ever got over that, really." The Doctor, it seemed, was fighting a smirk, and it was a losing battle. Rose sighed. "I shouldn't've told you that."

"I dunno, I think you should've."

She plopped down in her chair and pointed her pen at him. "Do your paperwork."

He grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

Rose scowled and spun back to face her desk. "An' don't call me ma'am."

"Yes'm."

"Ha ha, you're _so _funny."

She could almost hear his smirk as he settled himself at his desk. "I try."

A small smile curled her lips. "Trust me, I know."

ΘΣ

After two hours, three jinxed signatures and one call back to Jackie to figure out the address of the chip shop, Rose stretched and sighed. She glanced over at the Doctor, who had remained quiet outside of the occasional muttered commentary. "You almost done?"

He blinked and looked back at her. "What?" His desk was covered in papers, the forms covered in a riot of ink marks.

Rose's jaw dropped. "What did you do?"

"Well it's fascinating, actually, the jinxes they've spelled into this paperwork. There are the ones mentioned in the small print, of course, but there are at least five other ones hidden between the lines, and I _think_ there's a form of the Unbreakable Vow in that last dotted line."

"What?!"

He shrugged. "It's the Department of Mysteries, they're notorious for things like that. Dad told me about an Unspeakable who tried to tell her husband about a project she was working on and lost her voice. Permanently." He cocked his head. "For my sake, it's probably a good thing you're working here."

She pinched the brow of her nose. "But… you're going to turn that in?"

"'Course not, what sort of idiot do you take me for?" He pointed his wand at the papers. "_Scourgify._"

The ink remained.

He paled and aimed again. "_Scourgify._" The papers stayed stubbornly marked, and the Doctor rolled his chair back and leveled both arms at the table, gripping his wand tight. "_SCOURGIFY_."

Rose winced and touched his shoulder gingerly. "I don't think shouting is gonna help much, Doctor. What you put on these papers, they want to stay on these papers."

He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the mess. "But—oh, Merlin. Professor Snape's _not_ going to be happy."

"Did you sign them, at least?"

"Yeah, eventually, but the spellwork was really fascinating, and—"

"Blimey!" The Doctor and Rose's heads whipped up at that. Mickey stood at the entrance to their cubicle, his eyes glued to the Doctor's desk. "Havin' a bit of trouble with the readin' there, mate? It did say to sign on the line, not everywhere else."

"Yes, thank you Rickey, I _know_ that."

Rose cuffed him on the back of the head gently, and he grimaced. "All right, fine. Mickey. Sorry."

Mickey cocked an eyebrow at that. "Sure. I was just gonna see if you wanted to get some lunch, Rose. You up for it?"

The Doctor stiffened under her hand, and Rose closed her eyes. "Yeah, we'd better get these papers to Snape, and then maybe the Doctor and I will take you up on that." Mickey opened his mouth to protest, but she spoke before he could. "Where would we find Snape, anyway?"

He scowled and tightened his shoulders. "End of the hall, office on the left, past the labs."

"Thanks." She stood and gripped the Doctor's shoulder. "Come on."

He winced. "Do I have to come?"

"I'm certainly not explainin' that mess. Now come on, I am a bit hungry. See you later, then, Micks?"

Mickey watched them as they brushed past him, his jaw tight. "Yeah. Sure."

"Ta."

The Doctor cleared his throat as they walked down the enormous hallway. "So, why'd you and him end it? If you don't mind me asking."

Rose sighed and straightened the sheaf of papers in her arms. "You're not gonna be happy until you find out, are you?"

He tugged on an earlobe. "You don't have to tell me—"

"That's a no, then." She shrugged and looked anywhere but the Doctor, absorbing the sheer size of the space. "He didn't like that I paid more attention to magic than to him, an' he _really_ didn't want me going back to Hogwarts. So that was the end of that."

The Doctor huffed, aggravated. "What did he expect you to do, give up magic?"

Rose shrugged, peering into the mottled glass walls of the labs as they passed them. "I dunno. It was years ago, now. I don't think about it much."

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Right. Yes. No need, really, so why would you?"

She gave him a sharp glance at that, but he sniffed and peered intently at the walls. She nodded at the tall mahogany door in front of them. "I think that's his office." Unlike the rest of Torchwood, it didn't ooze modernity, just quiet good taste.

The Doctor straightened his shoulders and swallowed heavily. "Well, here goes nothing." He knocked on the door and stood back, holding his breath.

The door creaked open and they stepped inside. Rose glanced around the wide office. "Professor Snape?"

"It's Mr. Snape, dear." They spun around, the Doctor accidentally elbowing Rose, and froze. A tanned, honey-blonde witch was posed by the arched windows, her black robes plunging deeply in the front. "None of that 'Professor' nonsense around here."

Rose frowned. "Are we in the wrong place?"

"Oh no, you're perfect right where you are. Severus will be back in a moment, he was just… called away unexpectedly. So!" She clapped her hands together and leaned forward, and Rose glanced at the Doctor. His eyes were glued to the ceiling, his cheeks vibrantly red. "You're our new hires."

"Yeah. Sorry, where did you say Professor Snape was again?"

The witch's smile chilled. "_Mr._ Snape is out. But I haven't introduced myself, have I?" She reached out a hand, her nails tipped in blood-red polish. "Yvonne Hartman, executive director of Torchwood."

ΘΣ


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. A rather nasty head cold murdered my muse for a while there, and it's taken a bit to resurrect her.**

ΘΣ

The Doctor blinked, his eyes suddenly riveted on her. "Executive Director? But I thought Professor Snape was—"

Yvonne tossed her head back, laughing merrily. "Severus? The head of Torchwood? Oh, aren't you sweet!"

Something very near a growl rumbled in Rose's throat. The papers in her grip crinkled, and the Doctor glanced at her, unnerved. Yvonne strolled closer. "We're all very grateful for what he did, of course, but this job is all about..." she reached out to straighten the Doctor's tie. "Making connections."

Rose's lips tightened. "_Is _it now."

Yvonne raised an elegantly sculpted eyebrow and strolled around to Snape's desk, flicking through the papers casually. "Oh, yes. Torchwood can't be run by your average magic user, you know. Most witches and wizards, Circe bless them, wouldn't know what to do if they ran into a Muggle, much less worked with them. It takes a very skillful hand to balance both worlds, which is why it's a good thing I'm here." She looked up and smiled at them, her eyes cold. "You can hand over the paperwork now."

"I believe that is my department, Yvonne."

The witch flinched, her expression carefully controlled, and turned to face the doorway. "Severus, there you are!"

He inclined his head. "Apparently Ms. Sato had the incident well in hand, so I deemed my intervention unnecessary."

"Well. Good for Ms. Sato."

"Yes." He sat at his desk and glanced at the Doctor and Rose. "Are you going to hand those over or simply gawp at me?"

The Doctor swallowed and took Rose's papers, handing them over quickly. "Sir."

"Mr. Mott, Miss Tyler. Instructions on your training will be waiting on your desks when you finish your lunch." They edged back towards the door, and he glared at them. "Dismissed."

"Right. Yes." The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and closed the door behind them as they fled. "Blimey. _That_ was strange."

"Yeah, no kidding." Rose slipped her hand out of the Doctor's, crossing her arms.

He frowned. "Hey. You all right?"

"I'm fine."

He scanned the hallway and pulled them around a corner. "You really aren't."

Her shoulders slumped. "No. 'S not that much fun, watchin' my new boss aim her cleavage at my boyfriend."

He scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Yeah, dunno what was up with that."

"Didn't stop you from looking." A deep flush spread across his cheeks, and Rose huffed. "I'm going to find Mickey."

The Doctor flinched. "What? Why?"

Her eyes narrowed. "'Cause I'm hungry. And you don't get to play at that, not after sneaking an eyeful in there."

"I didn't—I was just—" His flush deepened. "They were kind of _right there._"

Rose snorted as she walked off, peering around the giant hall. "Doesn't mean you had to look." He ducked his head, and she clenched her fists. A young Asian woman with a small bindi was hunched over a nearby desk, tapping a pen against her chin, and Rose cleared her throat. "'Scuse me, where's the R&D area?"

She glanced up. "Left wall, by the labs."

"Thanks." The woman nodded, returning to her work, and the Doctor cleared his throat. "So you're really set on this lunch with Rickey thing?"

"It's _Mickey_, and yes, I am, because we've known each other since we were kids, an' it's nice to know somebody here."

He scowled. "Sure it is."

"Oh, don't even. If you two got over yourselves, I bet you'd get along."

The Doctor's hands fisted in his pockets as they neared a cluster of tall steel tables and Mickey looked up with a grin as Rose approached. "Right."

The other man swung himself around the corner and lifted his chin. "Was wondering when you'd get here, babe. Get bored already?"

"Nah, was just lookin' for lunch." She tilted her head at the Doctor with a small grin. "This one starts chewin' on _everything_ if he doesn't get food."

Mickey smirked and gestured for them to follow him. "You got a boyfriend or a puppy?"

The Doctor stiffened, and Rose snorted. "Not like you can talk, Mr. I'll Eat Anything Pickled. I saw your kitchen, remember? Dunno how your gran puts up with it."

Mickey shuddered. "That wierdo creature you got makes her food."

"Oi. That _creature_ has a name."

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Gimpy or whatever."

Rose smacked his shoulder. "It's Gemmy, and she does more to help Rita than you do."

"Who's the one paying the rent? Oh, right, that's me. Not the gremlin."

She stopped and closed her eyes, letting her breath out through her nose. "Do you have to do this, Mickey?"

He sighed and looked away. "Fine. Sorry. So what's the Nose got you workin' on?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "The Nose?"

"Snape. 'E sticks that honker of his in _everything_."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's a surprise."

The Doctor huffed. "He's not _that_ bad."

"He so is, and you know it!" She turned to Mickey, snickering. "You shoulda seen him at school, he used to swoop around like he was Batman or somethin'. Scared the hell out of me when I first got there."

Mickey raised his arm, peering out of his elbow. "I am vengeance. I am the night."

Rose burst out laughing, and even the Doctor cracked a smile. Mickey grinned and shoved open a pair of tall aluminum doors. "Welcome to my favorite part of Torchwood."

The cafeteria stretched out in a gigantic wheel, with etched glass walls lining the way to a slim metal arch. Mickey thrust his chin at it. "Can't get through there unless you're workin' here. They tried havin' one of them home gremlins up here for a while, but it wigged most everybody out, so they got this workin' instead."

"It's a _house_ _elf_, Mickey."

"Yeah, whatever." He gestured at the rooms laid out around the center. "So each room's a different thing. You got your Italian, Chinese, Moroccan, whatever, just pick a room an' grab what you want from the back table." Rose looked to the Doctor, raising her eyebrows, and Mickey's lips tightened. "Me, I'm thinkin' Chinese sounds good."

The Doctor crossed his arms. "It doesn't sound bad."

Rose pressed her lips together. "Yeah, I could go for some lo mein."

"Right. Great." Mickey let out a breath and jerked his head towards one of the rooms. "'S over here."

The room was dotted with small clusters of people, and after they'd made their selections Mickey headed over towards a man at a quiet table. "Though you weren't gettin' back till tomorrow, mate."

The man looked up. He was young, about Mickey's age, with a wide grin and a shock of spiky blond hair."Finished early, so they let me come home. Who's this?"

"Meet Torchwood's latest hires. Rose, this is Jake. Jake, Rose."

The Doctor plopped down on the other side of the table as Rose shook Jake's hand. "And I'm the Doctor."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "The Doctor? You in medical, then?"

"Nah, it's just a nickname."

"Odd sort of name."

Mickey snorted. "He's an odd sort of person." He caught the edges of Rose's scowl and looked away, digging his chopsticks into the heaping pile of fried rice in front of him. "They're Watchers."

Jake leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "And you're magic-users? Good luck with that."

Rose swallowed and frowned. "Why d'you say that?"

"Because wandies suck at undercover, that's why."

The Doctor snorted. "'Wandies'? Really? And you were talking about weird names?"

Rose pressed her lips together. "Undercover's not so hard. I grew up in London, not some cave."

Mickey jabbed a chopstick in her direction. "Rose 'n me, we grew up together."

"Rose. _Rose._" Jake's eyes widened. Mickey glared at him, and he raised his hands. "That's cool, that you get to work together now. I'm sure that'll be _great_."

A heavy silence hung among them as they finished their meal, and Rose set down her fork and cleared her throat. "So what're you workin' on, Mickey?"

"Tryin' to figure out some form of wizarding internet, mostly. The Floo network's been around for what, a couple hundred years? And it's not like there are fireplaces everywhere you go anymore, so, yeah." He turned to the Doctor. "The internet's this Muggle thing, dead useful. You can share all sorts of info over it, from anywhere."

"Yes, thank you, I _know _what the internet is." He crossed his arms at Mickey's skeptical look. "I'm a wizard, not an idiot."

Mickey looked at his watch. "Well, lunch hour's almost over for me. See you later, yeah?"

Rose sighed. "Sure." She glanced at the Doctor. "Come on, Snape said we'd find out about training after lunch."

He bowed slightly. "Lead on, then."

They made their way back to their desk, Rose waving half-heartedly to Mickey as he and Jake retreated to R&D. A small note sat on each of their desks, and Rose picked hers up as the Doctor turned his over. "_Hold on_. That's it?"

With a sudden lurch, they vanished.

ΘΣ


	10. Chapter 10

ΘΣ

The world unfolded around them, stability returning with a dizzying rush. Rose collapsed against the tree she found herself beside, clutching her head in a vain attempt to keep it in one piece. Somewhere nearby, she could hear the Doctor retching up his kung pao chicken.

The harsh gagging petered into a persistent cough, and the Doctor's slightly green countenance peered out of a tangle of weeds. "What the hell is with these people? Forget the element of surprise, this is just hazing." He stumbled out of the bracken, wiping his mouth on a stray leaf, and grimaced. "Professor Sprout, don't fail me now. A rash would be _just_ what I needed." He caught sight of Rose's pale face and stumbled closer to her, catching hold of her cheek with surprising gentleness. "Hey, are you all right?"

She groaned quietly. "I'm fine. God, I just want this day to be over with already."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, inspecting the growth surrounding them. "Sorry, love, but I think it's just starting."

"Who's there?"

The Doctor flinched, his grip tightening on Rose. She opened her eyes carefully. The voice was young, no more than a child's, with a strong accent— "Are we in Scotland?"

A small, round face peered out from behind the tree in front of them. "No, you're in Leadworth, and you're also behind my shed, and you _aren't_ supposed to be there."

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair and yanked on his ear. "Erm, sorry, we just got a bit lost."

"There's a _fence_. And a _gate_. And a _lock._ And Aunt Sharon locks it every day, so don't try to pretend it was open."

Rose frowned and crouched down. "Every day? Don't you go to school?"

The girl looked away, a curtain of vibrant red hair covering her face. "If you don't go away right now, I'll scream."

"You don't need to. We'll go away, we will."

There was a pause before she nodded. "Good."

"I just have one question." She held up her hands as the girl looked at her sharply. "One question, and then you'll be rid of us. I promise."

She crossed her arms. "All right. One question."

"Are you all right?" The girl hunched her shoulders, and Rose bit her lip. "It's just, someone your age, you should be at school with your friends, not locked up at home."

"They don't want me at the school."

The Doctor frowned. "Well, that's daft. You're obviously quite clever."

She looked down. Denim cutoffs stuck out beneath a large tee-shirt, and her legs were scuffed and bruised. "Weird things happen when I'm at school. Being here isn't so bad."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "What sort of weird things?"

The girl pulled back, glaring at them. "You said one question."

"I just ask 'cause weird things used to happen to me when I was young, things I couldn't explain." Rose took in a deep breath. "One time this boy Tommy, he was makin' fun of my mum, yeah? Next thing I knew, the water fountain broke and just _soaked_ him. And another time the teacher was scoldin' me for being out of dress code 'cause I'd outgrown my dress, but when she pulled out the ruler it was the right length."

She froze and Rose smiled at her, pressing her lips together. "I'm kinda used to the weird stuff, by now." She tilted her head at the Doctor. "You could even say it's our specialty."

"Really?"

"Really, really."

The girl looked at them before quickly looking away. "Last year my friend Mels, the boys were teasing her and chased her into the jungle gym. But, um, when she got out, the bars closed on them."

The Doctor winced and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds familiar."

Her jaw dropped. "It _does?_"

He leaned back against the tree, shoving his hands in his pockets. "When it happened to me, it took six hours for them to get the right equipment in to break 'em out."

"It… it took three, for them."

Rose knitted her hands together, letting them rest between her knees. "Listen, what's your name? I'm Rose, and he's John, although everybody calls him the Doctor."

She bit her lip, looking back forth between them, and nodded. "I'm Amelia. Amelia Pond."

The Doctor grinned. "Amelia Pond. That's a brilliant name."

Amelia eyed him suspiciously. "It's better than 'the Doctor', that's for sure."

"Oi! That was rude!"

Rose giggled. "You have to admit, she does have a point." She smiled at the girl. "It's lovely to meet you, Amelia Pond. When does your Aunt Sharon come home? Because I think, if we talked to her, we might be able to help you get all this figured out so you could go back to school."

The little girl straightened suddenly, nodding thoughtfully. "Not bad, you two. Could've done better, but hey, you're not me."

Rose recoiled. "Excuse me?"

Amelia pulled a small pill case from her shorts and swallowed one, resting her hands on her hips and tapping a foot on the ground. Within moments her form began to shift and grow, and soon a tall, striking ginger woman stood before them. She rolled her shoulders and made a face. "Ugh. Hate doing that. Growing back into a bra is just... weird." She smirked at Rose. "It was bad enough the first time."

Rose stepped back, pulling herself to her full height—which was still several centimeters below the other woman's—as the Doctor glared at her, his voice low and threatening. "Who are you?"

She raised her eyebrows and flicked her hair back from her face. "Amelia Pond, trainer extraordinaire. Call me Amy, though. It's been a long time since I was Amelia."

He crossed his arms. "You lied to us."

Amy winked at him. "Get used to it, cupcake. You poor saps are my new trainees. You will do what I say when I say it, and you'll be happy to do it, or else you'll be stuck on desk duty until I decide otherwise." She grinned, an almost feral expression. "You don't want to know how long I can hold a grudge."

The Doctor frowned. "So is this what we're going to be doing, then?"

"If you're lucky. If you're not, well, better to start off small, eh?" She turned to clump back to the house. "Come on, you waste my time, I waste yours. I _will_ keep you here if you don't get your lovely arses in gear."

Rose and the Doctor exchanged a glance and hurried after her, pushing through the weeds and the bracken until they'd managed to reach her path. Rose straightened her shirt as the trio made their way to the back door of a large ivy-covered house. "So where are we, then?"

Amy glanced back at her. "Leadworth, like I said. This place used to be my Aunt Sharon's, and once she moved on, I moved in."

The Doctor frowned. "Isn't that a bit dangerous, doing Ministry training around a bunch of people that know you?"

"Nah, it's perfect. I'm already the village nutter, so anything weird that happens around here just gets written off. Amazing, the amount of effort people put into _not_ seeing things."

Rose nibbled on her lower lip as Amy pulled a key from around her neck. "Was that real, everything you said?"

"Depends on what you would call 'real'."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Was that girl really you?"

"Let's just say Polyjuice Potion can do more than the average textbook claims."

The Doctor's mouth dropped open. "You had a hair sample from years ago. Oh, but that's brilliant!"

"Isn't it?" She pushed the door open and strolled in. "Excessive sentiment has its uses after all."

Rose frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He won't miss it. Alright! You are to arrive here each morning at precisely 0800 hours. For each minute you are late, I will hold you another day. Don't test me on that, my record is two months post-training and I'm not afraid to beat it." She paused and surveyed them. "Nice as the office wear is, you can stop bothering with it when you're here. I don't care what you wear, as long as you can move in it and you can blend in with the locals. No robes."

She pulled another key out from under her shirt, sliding it into the lock of a heavy mahogany door underneath the stairs. With the flip of switch a worn set of stairs was revealed. The Doctor and Rose followed her down, and down, and down. A dusty plank door waited at the bottom, a creak echoing through the chill air as Amy shoved it open.

She turned around with a flourish as candle flames sprung to life around her. "Welcome to the rest of your life. Now duck."

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	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I am so, _so_ sorry it's taken this long. This story keeps pulling me in all sorts of directions, and it takes a bit to find a clear path.**

ΘΣ

A flash of cerulean light was their only warning as Amy vanished and an enormous pendulum swung towards them.

"Down!" Rose shouted, dragging the Doctor out of its path—and straight into a deep gulley.

He scrambled up, helping Rose to her feet as the tripwire they'd landed on began to drag a wall of spikes towards them. Amy's voice echoed out of the air around them, buffeting them with sarcasm. "I can see why they wanted you."

Rose growled as the Doctor helped push her up the steep slopes of the gulley, swinging around on her knees to drag him up once she'd reached the top. "We weren't exactly warned!"

"You aren't going to get a warning, princess. When you're out in the field, you deal or you fail. And trust me, you do _not_want to fail." Her voice hardened. "What color did you see?"

The Doctor shoved himself just ahead of the spikes, checking his plimsolls with a frown. "We were a bit busy!"

"Fieldwork is a bit busy! You have to stay observant, no matter how much is going on around you. What color?"

Rose darted out of the way of the boulder careening towards them, clutching the Doctor's coat desperately. "Blue! Bright blue!"

"What does that mean?"

"Immobilization spell!"

The ground beneath them began to warm as a blast of red light streaked past them, and the Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose as he grabbed a pulley. "Rose, cut it!"

She yelled a severing spell as a sudden rush of flames roared up beneath them, the heat toasting their feet as they rocketed upwards. He kicked out against the wall, swinging them onto a small balcony, as Amy's voice snapped out again. "What color?"

"Not blue!"

There was a long pause before she spoke again, the flames beneath them crackling into nothing. "Really? That's your answer?"

"Blood red, it's a pain spell! Attacks your nerves!" Rose charmed a counterweight onto the pulley, wrapping her arms around the Doctor as they descended to the floor once more.

He sputtered and crossed his arms once she released him. "I knew that, too."

Amy's snort resounded around them. "Then give me an actual answer next time, not 'not blue'."

Rose smirked and retied her hair, brushing the sweat from her brow. "She has a point."

"Oh, ha bloody ha. Side with the murderous trainer, why don't you."

An ear-splitting shriek rang out and Rose crumpled, clutching the sides of her head. The Doctor fell to his knees beside her, tracing an intricate pattern with his wand, and soon the pain faded as a thick pair of earmuffs grew on both their heads.

Rose peered about until she sighted the banshee. With one spell it toppled backwards, a thick gag muffling its scream.

The Doctor took aim and mouthed a spell. The banshee froze in place, its limbs contorted in a desperate attempt to free itself of the gag. Rose's heartbeat rang out in the stillness, and she carefully pulled her earmuffs off. He tried to speak to her, but she shook her head. She was swimming in a riot of noise, the ringing of the banshee's shriek echoing throughout her brain and drowning every other sound.

The Doctor winced and pointed his wand at her, doing the same to himself moments later as she scanned for the next danger. Soon she could hear his ragged breath, the overwhelming silence of the training room.

Amy spoke again, her voice softer this time. "Out on the field, you have to take care of yourself first."

The Doctor's jaw clenched as his hand met Rose's, tightened. "That's not going to happen. Especially not if we're about to get killed by an _illegal_Dark creature."

With a crack of sound, Amy reappeared in front of them. "Oh, Myrtle? You don't have anything to fear from her." She whipped out her wand. "_Riddikulus__!_" The banshee's torn robes transformed into a gaudy Elvis costume, and it fled into the tall metal cabinet that had appeared behind it. "She's a boggart. The Ministry wouldn't be too happy with me if I were using a banshee without permission."

"Without permission. That _really_makes me feel better."

"It should." Amy paused, crossed her arms. "Do you have any idea how long it usually takes my trainees to trust their partners, to work with them instinctively?"

Rose grimaced and rolled her shoulders. "I'm guessin' longer than this."

"Yeah. You could put it that way." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Looks like there'll be some record-breaking after all."

The Doctor brightened. "Are we done?"

She snorted. "Absolutely not. This just means you move to the next lesson faster."

He threw up his arms. "So what was this lesson? 'Our trainer is a sociopath'?"

Amy stiffened, her eyes darkening. Rose jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "Oi! Rude!"

The trainer scowled. "You know what? I think you could do with a bit more practice."

She vanished with a bang, and Rose groaned. "Oh, _brilliant._You just had to open your gob."

The afternoon passed in a haze of adrenaline as they scrambled their way through trap doors, mazes, troll encounters, and a memorable incident with a Chimaera, all with Amy's frosty voice in their ears.

Rose gasped for breath as she ducked behind a short wall, the Doctor following close behind her. Above them, a gleaming blade scythed through the air. "You ever gonna apologize?"

He glared at her incredulously as the blade whipped through the air again. "Are you kiddingme? Since we arrived, we've almost been crushed, impaled, roasted, killed by a Banshee's scream, dropped to our deaths, poisoned, smashed, eaten, and now sliced to bits. And you want _me_to apologize?"

Rose shook her head. "The banshee was a boggart, and I'd bet money the rest of it isn't actually fatal, either."

"I'm not about to find out what happens if we mess up!"

She growled and shoved loose strands of hair from her face. "You shouldn't have called her crazy!"

"Yeah, well _you_shouldn't have—have—" His voice caught in his throat as Rose peered above the barrier, and he launched himself forward as the scythe hummed through the air. "DOWN!"

She yelped as he bore her to the ground, covering her body with his own as the blade ground against the top of the wall. "What the hell, Doctor?"

"It's getting lower. It's getting _bloody_lower, and will you _please_be more careful?" His hands were shaking as he cupped her face. "I am not losing you to something so stupid as a trainer with a grudge."

Her breath shook as she exhaled. "Then you shouldn't have insulted her."

His eyes darted down to her lips. "Oh, shut up."

"Make m—" His lips crashed against hers, and she broke off with a groan. His arms wrapped around her, hand cradling her head as she fell back against the floor.

A sudden blast of water drove them apart, ice-cold and powerful. They were attempting to clear the water from their ears when Amy appeared, her arms crossed. "I hate having to use that spell. Actually, scratch that—I love having to use that spell. Your faces were _priceless._" The Doctor glared at her, and she smirked. "Just like that."

Rose tightened her jaw. "Are you done?"

"For the day?" She tilted her head. "I suppose, but only because you'll need your rest for tomorrow. There's a box of Floo powder on the mantle upstairs. Apparition doesn't work around here. Arrive back at 0800 sharp, or else you'll get to spend more time with your favorite trainer." She leaned forward and winked at them, her voice carrying in a loud stage whisper. "That'd be me."

She apparated away, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone in a blank cavern of a training room. The pits, the pendulums, the mazes— it was all gone, leaving only tall slate walls and a chill marble floor.

Rose smacked the Doctor's shoulder lightly. "I _told_you it was an illusion."

"Yes you did, good for you, let's go." He stood and pulled her up, his grip tight.

She frowned. "Are you scared of her?"

"This day has been long enough. I'd rather not have the floor fall out from under me, hmm?" He tugged her closer, his breath warming her cheeks as he nuzzled her hair. "Besides, we're got some unfinished business."

Rose smirked up at him, her skin flushed and her tongue sneaking out of her grin. "Last one to the fireplace has to do the dishes."

They tore up the stairs, Rose yanking on the Doctor's coat as he shouted with laughter. Neither of them noticed the young woman stepping out of the shadows, a waterfall of braids trailing over her shoulder.

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End file.
